European Union Court rules people can get private search results deleted from Google

The European Union Court of Justice has reportedly given its ruling that people can ask Google and other online websites to edit or erase online search results if those results violate the privacy of the person in question.

European lawmakers have told Google that citizens have a right to be 'forgotten' and can request for their private information to be removed from the search results.

The judges ruled that a person could approach the operator directly if a search made on that person's basis reveals a list of results displaying a link to some web page that contains private information of the person in question, Cnet reported.

The judges also ruled that the person in question could bring the matter before the competent authorities in order to obtain the removal of that link from the list of results, if the search operator refuses to change the search results.

Following the ruling, a Google spokesperson said that it is a disappointing ruling for search engines and online publishers in general, adding that they are very surprised that the ruling differs so dramatically from the Advocate General's opinion and the warnings and consequences that he spelled out.